The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Besson brings his dream to the screen
Director long loved comic on which ‘Valerian’ is based
Ever since he was a kid, Luc Besson dreamed of directing a movie version of “Valérian and Laureline,” a French comic book series featuring a pair of sexy, futuristic crime fighters.
The director of such films as “The Professional,” “The Fifth Element” “La Femme Nikita” and “Lucy” has finally gotten his wish with “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets,” in theaters now.
The sci-fi adventure — said to cost more than $200 million — is set in the 28th century and filled with dizzying special effects, a host of bizarre alien creatures and colorful worlds.
When I mention to the French director that this looks like the most complicated film he’s ever done, Besson starts laughing.
How complicated? Besson says the people from Industrial Light & Magic — one of the two specialeffects houses he used for “Valerian” (the other was Weta Digital) — planted seven little in-jokes for him to find in the movie. “So far, I’ve found four. So I still have more to discover in my own film.”
“Valerian” stars Dane DeHaan (“The Amazing Spider-Man 2”) in the title role, and English actress and model Cara Delevingne as Laureline, special operatives sent to uncover a plot to destroy Alpha, the socalled City of a Thousand Planets where different species peacefully coexist.
Besson says he “knew after one minute” of meeting with DeHaan that he wanted him for the role. “I didn’t want a big su- Schwarzenegger,” he says. perhero like an Arnold
“We’ve had enough of those. What I wanted was someone very human.”
The 31-year-old DeHaan, who has an Obie and a number of films behind him, was more of a known entity than his costar, Delevingne, who turns 25 next month. She first made her mark as a model in the fashion world in her teens, though she has been making the move to film in movies like “Paper Towns” and “Suicide Squad.”
“Cara is a born actress. She’s not a model even though she’s made her name that way,” says Besson. “I think I know one when I’ve met one. I met Natalie Portman when she was 12 and Cara is a star. She can play anything.”
The director cast Oscarwinning Portman in her first feature, “The Professional.”
Tough, empowered leading ladies in his films have always been a hallmark of Besson’s films, and Delevingne as Laureline fits the bill.
“Laureline is the real boss in the relationship with Valerian,” says the filmmaker. “It’s exactly what I see in society today — men are overpaid and women are ruling the house.”
When I talk to Delevingne and DeHaan a bit later, she’s a bit more diplomatic in describing the space couple’s relationship.
“He’s like the spark and she’s like the oxygen,” says Delevingne, but DeHaan acknowledges, “Valerian doesn’t realize how much he owes to her.”
The two actors exhibit the same easygoing manner they display on screen. During the casting process, Besson was desperate to get them together to test their chemistry, but then they happened to meet on their own at the 2015 Met Gala, the famed benefit for New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.
That year Rihanna entertained the crowd. In “Valerian,” the pop diva plays a shape-shifting alien working in a red-light district who performs a twisty pole dance. The cast also includes Clive Owen, Ethan Hawke, John Goodman, Rutger Hauer and jazz legend Herbie Hancock as Valerian and Laureline’s boss.
Eventually, Besson was able to get Delevingne and DeHaan together so he could decide for himself how well they clicked. He decided they would work together well.
“I think because Dane came from the theater and really knew his craft, Cara saw right away he would be a good mentor,” says the director, “and because Cara is like a kangaroo, bouncing all the time, Dane was attracted to her energy. He became more playful.”
DeHaan, who recently became the father of a daughter, says it was “special to be in a movie that Luc wanted to make his entire life. It was his dream come true for him, and I think you see that in this film.”
Delevingne agrees, adding, “Luc made it enjoyable every day because he was having the best time in the world. He’s like a kid all the time.”
The actress’s blond hair is tightly cropped, growing back after having to shave it for the film “Life in a Year,” which she recently finished shooting with Jaden Smith.
“I wouldn’t have done it if it wasn’t for her role. I was very attached to my hair,” she says. “I play a stage-four ovarian cancer patient.”
This year, Delevingne attended the Met Gala with a shaved head painted silver and a silvery dress with a plunging neckline, causing a stir on the red carpet. At 5 feet, 8 inches, the actress’s look reminds you a bit of one of the inhabitants of the Pearls’ planet in “Valerian.”
The Pearls are longlimbed aliens with bald heads who move with the elegance of models, and for good reason. Besson hired four models and had them train for six months. For the film, he put them in motion-capture suits to play the roles.
The planet itself is dreamily eye-catching with iridescent blues and multihued clouds. The film’s look is a bright contrast to many of today’s dystopian films.
“‘The Fifth Element’ was also very bright,” notes Besson, referring to his wacky sci-fi film from 20 years ago starring Bruce Willis and Milla Jovovich. “In most of these films, we are always running, it’s always night, the aliens are always the bad guy, the superhero is always worrying if he should interfere. As a moviegoer, I want to see something else.
“A lot of these films are great,” he adds, “but it’s a little bit too much. It’s so dark, dark, dark. We can’t imagine the future being bright, but let’s start today.”